10 REASONS To Give Your Brain A Rest

People are now sleeping less than they did in the past, and sleep quality has decreased as well.
“We found that shorter and lower quality sleep tended to lead to more stressors on the following day,” said Soomi Lee, lead author and Penn State postdoctoral scholar from two separate studies published in 2017.

Aside from the above study, here are 10 reasons why good quality sleep is important. (Below is a condensed version of a Healthline article.)

1. Poor Sleep Can Make You Fat
Poor sleep is strongly linked to weight gain. If you are trying to lose weight, getting quality sleep is absolutely crucial.

2. Good Sleepers Tend to Eat Fewer Calories
Studies show that sleep deprived individuals have a bigger appetite and tend to eat more calories.

3. Good Sleep Can Improve Concentration and Productivity
Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function which includes cognition, concentration, productivity and performance.
A study on medical interns provides a good example. Interns on a "traditional schedule" made 36% more serious medical errors than interns on a schedule that allowed more sleep.

4. Good Sleep Can Maximize Athletic Performance
Sleep has been shown to enhance athletic performance. A study of over 2,800 women found that poor sleep was linked to slower walking, lower grip strength, and greater difficulty performing independent activities.

5. Poor Sleepers Have a Greater Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke
A review of 15 studies found that short sleepers are at far greater risk of heart disease or stroke than those who sleep 7 to 8 hours per night.

6. Sleep Affects Glucose Metabolism and Type 2 Diabetes Risk
In a study of healthy young men, restricting sleep to 4 hours per night for 6 nights in a row caused symptoms of pre-diabetes. This was then resolved after 1 week of increased sleep duration.
Poor sleep habits are also strongly linked to adverse effects on blood sugar in the general population. Those sleeping less than 6 hours per night have repeatedly been shown to be at increased risk for type 2 diabetes.

7. Poor Sleep Is Linked to Depression
It has been estimated that 90% of patients with depression complain about sleep quality. Poor sleep is even associated with increased risk of death by suicide.

8. Sleep Improves Your Immune Function
One large 2-week study monitored the development of the common cold after giving people nasal drops with the virus that causes colds. They found that those who slept less than 7 hours were almost three times more likely to develop a cold than those who slept 8 hours. 

9. Poor Sleep Is Linked to Increased Inflammation
Poor sleep has been strongly linked to long-term inflammation of the digestive tract, in disorders known as inflammatory bowel diseases.

10. Sleep Affects Emotions and Social Interactions
One study found that people who had not slept had a reduced ability to recognize expressions of anger and happiness.
 
What does all this talk of sleep have to do with the Art of Ascension? When a person uses The Art of Ascension in a 20 minute close-eyed practice, similar to meditation, you receive twice as much rest as you do in 8 hours of sleep.  This is measured by your heart rate, respiration rate, and other factors such as fatigue toxins being released. And if you fall asleep using the techniques, you will enter a much deeper rest immediately.  

Would you like to share your story of how The Art of Ascension has given you rest? 

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